Darkest Powers::Gravity
by 0lastximpulse0
Summary: Chloe and her friends are still on the run, this picks up right where the last book left off. There is a new character and some trouble with Chloe and Derek's relationship. Can they make it through?
1. Chapter 1: Obviously

_Notice! THis is a work in progress. I will not be posting everyday, though I will try. If you do review it make sure you remind yourself that it is nowhere near being finished._

I sat up straight, thinking I had heard Tori whispering in the hotel bed next to mine and my Aunt Lauren. I looked over to her just as she snorted in her sleep and rolled over. I groaned inwardly. Not now. Please. Why can't I have one night without hearing a ghost? I laid back down and closed my eyes, praying the whispering would go away. I was wrong, it got louder. I sat up again, clutching the necklace my mother had given me. The whispers faded, but were still there. I swung my legs over the side of the bed gently and stood up. The floor groaned in protest, but I ignored it and slid my shoes on.

I looked around the room and didn't seen anyone. Where was this whispering coming from? A ghost obviously, but did this ghost want to be heard? Or was it a residual ghost? I shuttered when I thought of the girl's ghost in the words. I'd seen her a couple of week ago as her murdered played like a broken record in the woods. I shook my head to clear it and stepped across the room. I reached the side of the room with the door and listened. The whispers were in the hallway outside of our hotel room now.

As a movie buff, I knew that this would only be trouble but I had to find out if this ghost was real or not. I opened the door and stifled a scream as I stared into my own face. I had completely forgotten about the mirror that was positioned on the other side of the hall. My hand gingerly touched my cheek as I got closer to the mirror. Underneath my right eye was the scar the homeless girl in the alley had given me. It had healed up nearly a week ago but I would most likely have a small reminder for many years to come.

The weeks we'd been on the run had really taken a toll on my appearance. Not that I am superficial or anything like that. I bit my lip as I my fingers touched the hollow part of my cheek bones, weeks of eating scraps and energy bars can really change someone appearance. I ran my fingers through my hair, grimacing. Derek had promised new hair dye but money was hard to come by. A few weeks back we had decided that I was one of the main targets for the Edison Group and so we dyed my hair black. It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't pale and the dye wasn't a flat color. Derek had apologized over and over again, but at least I wasn't recognizable.

I looked to my right when I heard the whispers again. I closed my eyes and let my feet follow the whispers that were steadily growing louder. I stopped suddenly when I almost ran into the maintenance closet door. I pressed my ear against it and strained to hear what the whispers were but I couldn't make anything out. I closed my eyes again and tried to concentrate, but the voice was nearly inaudible. I put my hand on the door handle, as if it would help me hear the voice better.

"What are you doing?" A voice whispered in my ear. I jumped a mile high as Derek put his hand over my mouth. I yanked it off and glared up at him.

"You gave me a heart attack!" I whispered furiously. I put my hand on my chest above my heart, it was beating five times faster than it should. Derek looked down at me, his face somewhere between amusement and regret. I continued to glare up at him and his face softened.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. You're just so easy to scare." He said, a laugh playing in his voice and on his lips. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the door. The whispers had stopped. I turned back on him.

"Derek! You jerk! You made the ghost go away." I pouted, glaring up at him again. Derek's face hardened and he looked around the hallway quickly.

"What ghost?" His gravely voice sending shivers down my spine. I know I should be focusing on the fact that I heard a disembodied voice in the place we were staying, but having Derek so close to me was intoxicating. Ever since last night when we kissed, I couldn't keep my thoughts from straying back to him. I shook my head and put on a straight face.

"I woke up and heard someone whispering. It sounded like Tori at first but she was asleep." I looked up at Derek as his hard eyes gazed down into mine. I wished he would forget the ghost and kiss me like he did last night. But no such luck. It was like he had forgotten all about the kiss. I frowned and looked away. It must not have meant that much to him.

Derek looked around the hallway again, as if he could see ghosts. "And you decided to go investigate it? Did you completely forget the last ghost you decided to follow? He could have killed you, Chloe." He looked down at me, furiously.

"I'm not a child, Derek. I know what I can handle. Did you completely forget that I got rid of that ghost?" I shot back at him. He was making this romantic setting not very romantic.

"Yeah, but if Liz hadn't been there, you wouldn't be _here._" Derek said. He set his jaw and I stopped short. I hadn't thought about it that way. If Liz hadn't shown up I probably _would_ still be back in the woods behind the mansion, dead by blunt force trama to the back of my head. I hated that Derek could one up me.

"You know what? You're right. I'm stupid and I can't fend for myself. I'm a poor defenseless necromancer. A damsel in distress." I said the last part through my teeth. I knew that Derek would get mad with me for saying that. I had accused him of using me to get what he wanted more than once.

He cursed, "Shut it, Chloe. You know that's not true." Derek looked down at me angrily. I looked back up at him just as angrily. I could feel my body heating up as my temper worsened.

"I'm going back to bed. Before I say something I'm going to regret in the morning." I said, I turned on my heel and stomped back to the hotel room.

"Chloe, I-" Derek tried to follow me but I shut the door in the middle of his sentence. I kicked off my shoes and climbed into bed next to Aunt Lauren.

_He was only trying to help. You know he's right._

Great, now my inner voice was taking Derek's side. I pulled the covers up to my chin and rolled over onto my side, towards the wall. I could hear Derek shuffling his feet out in the hall and I smirked to myself. He hated making me mad, even if it seemed like he did it as a hobby.

I closed my eyes just as the whispers started again. I put my pillow over my ears and tried to concentrate on the sound of my breathing. I took a deep breath in and let it out. In and out. In and out. Shortly after I fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Aunt Lauren brought me breakfast. Apparently the scary looking motel we were at had a hot continental breakfast. She brought me one of my favorites, biscuits and gravy. I sat criss cross on the bed as Tori plopped next to me. Ever since we had broken out of the laboratory she had been warming up to me. Tori was still out of it, though, because she had watched her mother die not even 48 hours before. Tori ate a piece of toast in silence as I dug into my meal. I looked over at her, but her long, dark hair was a curtain between us.<p>

"Hey, Tori." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" I asked as gently as I could. She just nodded. I wondered if Mr. Bae had given her any medication. Back in the Lyle house, Tori was usually heavily medicated so she wouldn't become angry and burn the place down with a swing of her hand. I glanced back at her one more time before I stood up, finished with my food.

"Dang, Chloe. Hungry much?" Tori snapped at me. It wasn't as enthusiastic as she normal insults me, but it was better than nothing. I blushed, just to give her something.

"Sorry, Tori." I said, trying to fake the part of helpless Chloe.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Chloe. I'm not like Derek." Tori said, in her normal bitchy tone. She was back.

"Okay, Tori." I said, smiling to myself. I threw my plate away in the small plastic garbage by the bed. I knew we would have to get going soon, but I really didn't want to face Derek after last night. He had to have been out there for almost an hour, pacing the hallway.

_He wanted you to come out there so he could apologize. Now he's probably too mad to apologize._

I grimaced again. I hated when my inner voice was right, which it normally was. I walked around the room, picking up the bedding, folding it, and laying it on the bed. I was restless because I knew I would be seeing Derek soon enough.

There was a knock on the door. I looked around the room for Tori, but she must have gone into the bathroom. I walked up to the door slowly, stepping on my tip toes to look through the peep hole. I saw a head full of blonde hair and a pair of almond eyes. I smiled to myself and opened the door.

"Hey, Chloe." Simon said, kind of awkwardly. I smiled warmly at him and motioned for him to come inside.

"Hey, Simon. What's up?" I asked, hoping he wasn't here on Derek's behaf.

"Dad says we should probably head out soon. I don't feel comfortable leaving during the day, but Dad's good at this whole being on the run thing." Simon said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. There was something else. Something he wasn't telling me.

"What is it Simon?" I asked, sitting down on the corner of the bed. He sat down gingerly on the other corner.

"Derek said that you heard a ghost last night." Simon said. I knew he was just trying to lead me into the real issue.

"Yes, I heard a ghost last night. But your brother scared it away." I snapped at him. "I'm sorry, Simon. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It's okay. I think Derek deserved getting the door slammed in his face." Simon gave me his goofy, lopsided grin.

"I didn't slam it, he's over exagerating." I said, rolling my eyes. I stood up and started pacing the room. I could feel Simon watching me. Again, he hadn't said everything he needed. "Simon. What's going on? There's something you aren't telling me."

"Well, Derek wanted me to talk to you about last night." Ah. And so the truth was out.

"What about last night, Simon?" I asked, stopping in the middle of the room. I looked down at the floor.

"You followed the ghost, didn't you? Chloe?" Simon asked from across the room. I nodded, feeling a lecture coming.

"Simon, please don't preach at me. Your brother did enough of that last night. I know it was stupid, after what Royce did. I know that I wouldn't be here if Liz hadn't saved me. I know that I'm as weak as everyone says I am. So, please. Please, Simon. Don't lecture me." I said, taking a breath.

Simon stood up and crossed the room, stopping a few feet from me. "Chloe, you aren't helpless. You are getting stronger each day. I know that you know what you can handle. Derek's not use to not having to take care of someone and so he thinks that you need to be taken care of. He likes having someone rely on him because it makes him feel important. Like he isn't a total screw up. It's silly, I know. But it's how he is, Chloe." Simon said softly.

"He's being ridiculous though. The ghost wasn't even strong enough for me to hear it completely." I said, setting my jaw. I could be stubborn when I wanted to be. "I know that's how he is, Simon. But that's not who I am. Not anymore."

Simon nodded, "I know, Chloe. I know. Do you want to tell Derek, or should I?" Simon smiled. He knew that I didn't want to talk to Derek.

"I will. It should come from me." I said. Simon looked up in surprised. "I told you. I'm not like I use to be. I can fend for myself."

Simon laughed, "I'm gonna have to watch this." I rolled my eyes and pushed him to the door.

"You're gonna have to go. I still have to get ready." I opened the door and pushed him into the hall.

"Let me know when you break the news to Derek." Simon laughed as I closed the door.

"Sounded like you two are back to being buddies." Tori said, stepping out of the bathroom. She had taken a shower and put on some makeup.

"Yeah, we are. Do you have any makeup I can borrow?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Tori nodded and laughed to herself.

"You're not very good at that, you know." She rolled her eyes and pointed to the bathroom. "I suggest you use it. Don't want to smell like a garbage can for your new boyfriend."

I felt my face heat up as I stepped to the bathroom. "Do I really smell like garbage?"

"No, I'm just kidding. Grow a funny bone." Tori said, pulling a shirt over her head. I nodded and closed the bathroom door.

* * *

><p>I stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed. I didn't touch the makeup, I didn't usually apply makeup before and I wasn't sure I wanted to start now. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and opened the door to the hallway. We were suppose to meet up in the boy's room. Aunt Lauren and Tori had already left and so I was alone in the hall. Again. I looked down the hall to the maintenance door, that had to be signifigant. I walked over the boy's room. I could hear Simon and Tori bickering, Mr. Bae and Aunt Lauren talking about routes we should go, but I didn't hear Derek. That was either a really bad thing or a really good thing.<p>

I looked over my shoulder, just to make sure he wasn't behind me. He wasn't. I walked straight to the maintenance door and touched the door knob again. Almost instantly I could hear the whispers again. I turned the knob slightly, feeling no resistance. I turned it a little more and pushed. The door opened without so much as a sound. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I was surrounded by darkness, but I wasn't scared. I felt around from the light switch, but I felt a string on my face. I pulled it and the small room was engulfed in light.

It looked like a janitor's closest, there were mops and brooms in one corner and a shelf full of cleaners. The whispering was no louder in here than it was in the hallway. I looked around for any indication of a ghost, finding none. Just the whispers.

"Hello?" I whispered back, hoping that whoever was whispering would answer me.

The whispers stopped short and then started again, right by my ear. I looked toward the sound but saw nothing. I frowned, afraid to summon anything. I shook my head and set my jaw.

"If you want to talk to me, you're going to have to actually talk to me." I whispered again. The whispers stopped again.

"Hi." A clear, little voice sounded directly behind me. I turned around slowly, not wanting to frighten it. I looked down and saw a little girl. She had white blonde hair with light blue ribbons decorating it, her blue eyes were flat with no life in them. She stood about 3 or 4 feet, her blue dress reminding me of an old show I used to watch. Little House On The Praire, that's it.

"What's your name?" I asked, softly. Looking at her, I couldn't see any wounds that would explain her death but the flatness of her eyes gave away the fact that she was dead.

"Rebecca Shaw." Her soft voice sounding like windchimes.

"Why are you here, Rebecca?" I asked. I didn't want to know the answer and yet I had to know. It was like watching a horror movie where you wanted to look away from the screen because you didn't want to get scared but you look anyway.

"I don't know. My mommy and daddy were here but they left me a long time ago." She said, the sadness showing on her face.

"Can I call you Becca?" I asked, she nodded. "Becca, I'm sorry your mommy and daddy left you. My mommy left me too." I said, trying to relate to her on her level.

Becca looked up at me in surprise. "Your mommy left you here? Like mine did?"

"No, my mommy left me back where I live. In New York. Do you know where New York is, Becca?"

Becca nodded, I smiled. "What's your name?" She asked me, a small smile creeping on her face.

"My name is Chloe. It's nice to meet you, Becca." I said. She gave me an outdated curtisy. "How long have you been here, Becca?"

"Um, I don't know. A long time. But that's okay. I like it here. Some kids who come to stay here can see me, I like to play with them. It isn't so bad being here by myself, I just wish my mommy and daddy would come back." Becca said, shrugging.

I nodded, "So you're safe here, Becca?"

She nodded and gave me a big smile. "There is an old lady here who has a necklace like yours who keeps the bad people away. The bad people who look gross." I nodded. There was another necromancer here.

"Is the old lady like you? Has she been here a long time?" I asked.

Becca nodded, her blonde curls bobbing. "She's been here since before I was here." Becca said.

"Okay, Becca. Was that you that I heard last night?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I woke you up. I was just playing pretend in the hallway." She said, she looked sorry.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You were here before I was, this is your place. I'm sorry that my friend Derek scared you last night and made you go away." I said, I was definately going to talk to Derek about that.

"It's okay, he looked scary at first but he had a pretty color around him so I knew he wouldn't hurt you." Becca said, smiling up at me.

"Pretty color? Can you see auras, Becca?" I asked, facinated.

Becca nodded. "That's what my mommy called it. She said I was special because I could see peoples aur-auroras." She struggled with the word.

I nodded. "You are special, Becca. I have to go now, but hopefully I can come back and see you." I said, smiling.

Becca nodded. "I would like that very much. You are very nice." She smiled and then vanished.

I stood up straight, my back popping. I opened the door and closed the light and stepped into the hallway.

"There you are, Chloe." Derek's voice sounded from up the hall. I could see him as he walked over to me, glaring the whole way. I grimaced and stood my ground as he loomed over me. I didn't look up at him even though I could feel his gaze as it pierced imaginary holes into me. I looked down at the carpet that went down the hall.

"You found me." I said darkly. I was not going to bend over backwards to make him forgive me. I had done nothing wrong.

"Yeah, after looking everywhere. You had everyone worried." Derek said, his voice hard. I caught myself before I looked up at him. It was what he wanted.

"The others know that I can handle myself. Did you hear me screaming for help? Did it sound like I was in trouble? Because I wasn't." I said, I knew I was pushing him.

Derek didn't say anything. For once. I couldn't help but look up. I wanted to kick myself as soon as I did because his face was full of guilt.

"I know you're not helpless." Derek half-whispered. I bit my lip and nodded. Last night's kiss was replaying in my memory.

"Then stop treating me like I am. Please, Derek. I know that I use to be the damsel in distress but I'm not like that anymore. I'm stronger." I said, finally breaking eye contact.

Derek placed his hand on my shoulder and I instantly got goosebumps. I looked up at him and he gave me a small grin. "I know that you're stronger, Chloe."

I nodded and looked down. "Than why do you treat me like I'm still the weak girl you met in Lyle House?"

"I'm not sure." Derek said softly. I looked up and gulped. His face was inches away from mine. Maybe last night did mean something to him. All I had to do was step up on my tip toes and I could find out.

"Derek?"

"Hmm?"

"Did yo-"

"Hey guys! There you are!" Tori shouted from down the hall. Derek pushed me away from him so fast you would think I was diseased. I tried not to look as hurt as I felt as I looked over at Tori. She knew that she had interrupted Derek and I, I could actually see the fact that she was sorry on her face. At least she is getting better. She gave me a look that asked if everything was okay and I rolled my eyes, confident that Derek understood nothing about the female communication system. Tori nodded slowly and then grimaced at Derek. He looked at us both dumbfounded and rolled his eyes. He pushed past Tori and I, opening the door to his room. Tori and I followed in silence.

"I found her." Was all Derek had to say before everyone in the room started talking again like nothing had happened. I looked around at the people in the room with me. Derek, Simon, Tori, Aunt Lauren, and Mr. Bae. I would have to get use to seeing these faces everyday. I looked through them again and then stopped at Derek as I realized he was watching me watch everyone else. I looked away quickly and focused on Tori and Simon bickering again. I wasn't sure what they were arguing about, but it wasn't important. I looked back at Derek and sighed a breath of relief when I saw that he was looking out the window. Looking back down to my feet I decided right then that I would prove to him that I didn't need to be taken care of.


	2. Chapter 2: Silence Is A Scary Sound

_Notice! This story is nowhere close to being finished. If you submit a review please keep in mind that I try to update the story everyday._

Before we left the motel, I had stopped back in the maintenance closet and said goodbye to Becca. Derek wasn't happy that I was having a conversation with a ghost with no intention of releasing it. Becca seemed happy here and she was being protected by the ghost of another necromancer. As we walked out the door of the motel, I looked back and saw Becca with an elderly woman looking out the window. Becca was waving at us and the elderly woman was smiling at her. I nodded and turned to Tori.

"You know that there was a ghost at that motel, right?" I asked. I'm sure Derek had told everyone about the incident from the night before.

"No, I didn't. Thanks for letting me get out of there before telling me." Tori said, with a tone I could only assume as thankful. I nodded and looked down.

"Her name is Becca and she couldn't have been more than five or six when she died. She's a supernatural, she can see auras." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Why are you telling me this? I don't really want to hear a sad story about how a little girl died." Tori snapped at me.

"It's not a sad story because she didn't tell me how she died. I don't even think she knows she's dead. And there was another ghost at the motel. She's an old necromancer. I didn't meet her, but she was watching us leave through the window with Becca." I said. I didn't know why I felt the need to tell Tori this.

"That's lovely, Chloe. It really is." She said as we wove in between the trees that were part of the forest parallel to the road. We looked like a very diverse family hiking through the woods, if anyone spotted us.

I looked down, trying not to trip over the branches that lay on the ground. While I walked I thought about Becca and the old necromancer. How long had they been there? Did the necromancer know she was dead? How did Becca die? Asking myself the questions was easy, trying to figure out the answers was a little more difficult. I ran through senarios about possible deaths that wouldn't leave physical reminders as I walked. My mind was far away when we reached a clearing. I looked up in surprise as I almost ran into Tori.

"Watch where you're going." She said, half-heartedly. I wasn't the only one who had been thinking of things other than the situation while we were walking. Tori looked like she could cry at any moment but also like she would beat up the first person who asked her if she was okay. I was not going to be that person.

"Okay, Tori." I said. I looked around the clearing. It was a nice little break on the trees, forming a half circle. Because the trees had been cleared out, the sun was able to shine through into the clearing. Oddly enough, the clearing reminded me of several romantic movies I had seen.

I looked up as Mr. Bae stopped next to a tree stump, Aunt Lauren and Simon on either side. I walked over and stood next to Aunt Lauren, Tori following me. Derek was standing a foot or two behind the group, next to Simon. I sighed in relief when I saw that he was looking at his father with hardness in his eyes. Derek really didn't like being exposed out in the daylight like this,I could tell. When we were on the run, he would have us out at night to make our escapes. It might be a wolf-like instinct, I wasn't sure. Derek's eyes shifted to me and I dropped my gaze. It was like we were playing cat and mouse with our eyes. I would look at him and when he looked back, I would look away and then when I looked up at him, he would look away. But I didn't dare look up this time, he had a look on his face that told me that he was angry with the entire situation. I knew that if I some much as looked him the eye he might go off on me.

I looked over at Mr. Bae instead.

"Okay, guys, and well, gals. I know that this doesn't feel right. That being outside like this at this time of day feels very taboo. Trust me, though. This is a move they would never expect. They know that you are all with me now. They know my history of tracking and so by me going against everything that I am comfortable with they won't be able to catch us. By leaving during the day we can have almost 12 more hours of a lead than we already do. " Mr. Bae took a breath. I took that moment to look over at Derek. He was looking intensely at his father, nodding along with the speech. I narrowed my eyes as my mind jumped. Derek looked flushed and pale at the same time. I could see rings of sweat creeping from under his arms. I had to mentally glue my feet to the ground to stop myself from running over to him and feeling his head. Was he getting ready to Change? It shouldn't be happening this often, I didn't think. He had Changed the night Liam died. That was only, maybe 3 days ago. I had lost track of the days, they seemed to run together.

Derek must have felt me looking at him because his eyes were suddenly on me. I blinked, but didn't look away. I raised my eye brows and he gave a quick shake of his head, a motion so miniscule that I had to pause for a second to make sure I had seen it. I gave him a small nod and turned my attention to Mr. Bae.

"And so, we will be stopping again in about 2 or 3 hours and go to a rest area. That way we can freshen up and find our barrings. All I know right now that we are approximately five miles south of Welland." I nodded. I didn't know exactly where that was but I knew that it was about 25 or thirty miles from Buffalo. "We are going to spend another 5 minutes resting and then we better be on our way." Mr. Bae stated, before turning to Aunt Lauren. I looked over at Tori, who looked like she could use a nap even though we had woken up a good 2 hours ago.

"You wanna go sit down?" I asked her, afraid to touch her. Tori nodded and so I gently took her arm and let her to a stump on the outside of the clearing. "Are you okay, Tori?" I asked when she sat down, I knelt beside her.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to break down or anything but I'm just out of it today." Tori admitted. It wasn't like her to admit that something was wrong unless it was about someone else.

I nodded, "Do you think it's about what happened at the Lab?" I asked, trying to keep my voice gentle.

Tori looked up, tears on the brim of her eyelid. She nodded, letting them fall. "Damn you, Chloe. I didn't want to cry." She said, wiping the tears away only to have them replaced with more.

"I don't want to be cliche here, but Tori, it's okay to cry. You probably have the most reasons to cry out of all of us. No one will think any less of you if you cry. They might even start to think you're human."I joked lightly.

Tori giggled, which shocked me, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But I still don't like people seeing me cry. It shows weakness."

Tori's mom must have told her that. As much as I knew Tori disliked her mother, she still loved her. "Actually, by holding your emotions in, it can cause you to explode. For normal people it wouldn't be literally, but you being a witch and all, I can't be so sure. And it would kind of suck if you blew up." I said.

"When did you get a sense of humor, Saunders?" Tori asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"I've always had one, but I just never got a chance to use it." I shrugged, Tori nodded and wiped her tears away again. This time they weren't followed by more.

"Do I look completely hideous? I was told I'm an ugly cryer." Tori said, pressing her fingertips to the area under her eyes. I shook my head.

"You don't look that bad, maybe just a little red. And if that's ugly crying, than I am a revolting cryer." I said, smiling. I stood up straight and offered my hand to Tori. She took it and I pulled her up.

"Do you think people are going to know that I was crying?" Tori asked. I shook my head and she nodded in return. "I'm glad I got that out of my system, and thank you for being there for me. But do NOT think that you can hug me." Tori was back again.

* * *

><p>We had left the clearing not long after the situation with Tori. I was glad that she felt comfortable around me enough to cry. I knew that it probably wasn't going to change our relationship, but it was nice to know.<p>

Derek still looked flushed and I was still concerned. I knew the Change was coming soon. _He can handle it himself, he Changed when Liz was there._ My inner voice was trying to ease my nerves. I wasn't sure why I was nervous about his Change, but I was. I was dreading it.

It might be because the last time he Changed, we weren't speaking. He still came to me to be with him and that's when Liam came to find us. I wasn't nervous about Liam, Derek had taken care of him. I wasn't nervous about being caught, we had a good 24 hour lead on the Edison Group. I was nervous about being so close to Derek again. the way he had been looking at me the last few hours had me thinking that he regretted the kiss we shared. It had me thinking that he hated me now. The was he was acting towards me reminded me of when I first met him in the Lyle House. He would always be on the primeter, always glaring, always silent. Back then he had actually thrown me against a wall. It had terrified us both. I knew that he didn't mean anything by it, he was just stronger than he had realized.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" A girlish voice danced through my ears. I shrieked and jumped a foot in the air. Everyone turned to look at me and I could feel my cheeks heat to a bright red.

"What the hell, Chloe?" Tori snapped from ahead of me. I hadn't realized I was so far behind everyone. Normally, either Simon, Derek, or Tori would tag along with me. I was by myself, about ten feet behind everyone.

"I thought I saw a sn-sn-snake." I stuttered shakily. Everyone but Derek nodded and continued forward. Derek was walking, but in my direction. I set my jaw and walked toward the rest of the group. Derek put his arm out to hold me back, but I ducked underneath it and kept walking. He fell into stride beside me.

"It wasn't a snake, was it, Chloe?" Derek's voice was laced with stone, I flinched away.

"So what if it wasn't?" I said angrily. I looked up at the rest of the group, they were a good fifteen feet ahead of us.

"So what? So what? Chloe, do you realize how st-"

I cut him off, stopping in my tracks, he stopped as well. "How stupid I am? How naive? How careless? Give it a rest, Derek. I'm not interested in listening to you critique everything I do. I'm not interested in getting pushed around, either Derek. So just stop." I said, angrily. I'm not sure why I was so mad at him, but I didn't care.

I peeked a glance up at Derek through my bangs, his face a mask of stone. "Chloe, that's not what I was going to say." He said, coldly.

I snapped my face up to look him in the eyes. "I'm tired of this Derek. Of you being a complete and utter rock. You show absolutely no emotion. I hate it." I admitted, looking away. I could see his shoulders sag just slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm trying here, Chloe." Derek said, his voice softer than before. And he was improving. He was easier to read now compared to in Lyle House. But it still wasn't enough.

"I know you are, Derek. I really do. But when you blow up at me every time I do something on my own, it makes me think you haven't tried enough." I said, I looked up at him, trying to read his face.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. This is new to me. I'm not use to having someone care about me the way you do. And I'm really not use to feeling the things you make me feel." Derek said, his face softening completely.

I stood still, tempted to kiss him. "Well, get use to it. I'm not changing how I feel, but I am especially not changing who I am." Derek nodded.

"Don't change, Chloe." Derek said, he lifted his hand and brushed my hair out of my face. I looked up into his eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. He looked over his shoulder, I looked in the same direction. The rest of the group were so far ahead that we couldn't see them. Derek looked back down at me, my eyes trailing back up to his face. He leaned down so that our faces were barely an inch apart. I could feel my breath quicken and I could hear his do the same. I was frozen, hypnotised by his presence. Derek closed the space in between our lips and it felt like I was on fire. I closed my eyes, my lips movements matching his. I reached my arms up and wrapped them around his neck, his arms circling my waist. I breathed him in, pulling him closer as we kissed.

Several minutes later we came up for air, I took a step back. My heart was still beating rapidly.

"Wow." I mumbled, looking down at my feet. Derek lifted my chin up with his index finger and made me look at him.

"I mean it, Chloe. Don't change. I'm gonna try to be better." He said, his finger still under my chin. I nodded and he smiled, a real smile. "And we better catch up to everyone else before they think we got lost."

"Simon knows you would never get lost, even if you tried." I said, smiling back. Derek moved his finger from my chin and took a hold of my hand instead. This wasn't something we did normally, but his big hand fit perfectly around mine.

Derek laughed, "This is true. So we really better get back before they think we were fooling around."

"Weren't we?" I asked, jokingly. He laughed again.

"I guess we were." Derek said, lightly pulling me along.

We caught up with the rest of the group and I expected Derek to drop my hand, but he didn't. I looked up at him but he was looking straight ahead. With a smile on his face.

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><p>We walked for 2 hours without stopping, my feet were killing me. The rest stop was relatively big, and it looked like it was part truck stop. By the time we got there it was about eleven in the morning. The sun was just starting to warm up, and being under the cover of the trees all day we welcomed the warmth.<p>

"Okay, guys. We're gonna rest of for about half an hour, maybe a little less. There are vending machines in the main building and restrooms to the right and left. If you guys feel like soaking up the sun, there's also a dog park in the back." Mr. Bae instructed. We all nodded and split off in our own directions, except Derek and I were still holding hands.

"Are you hungry?" Derek asked, his eyes searching mine. I shook my head, the butterflies in my stomach surpressed my appetite. "Okay." He said.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, noticing that he was still flushed.

He pulled a granola bar out of his pocket, "I'm always hungry." Derek smiled. I nodded and looked down.

"Derek, when is it going to happen this time?" I asked, I could feel the air between us tighten.

"I'm not sure. I just feel restless. Normally, when I get to this point I have about another couple of days. But because my last Change was so recent, I have no idea how long I have." Derek admitted. I studied his face, he was sweating even though the sun was just starting to warm the earth.

"I'm worried about you." I admitted. "You're Changes are happening more frequently and very unpredictably. I think we should tell your dad that you might be Changing soon." I used my sweater sleeve to wipe some sweat from his brow.

"I know that we should, but since we're on the run I don't want to hold us back." Derek said, looking at the ground in between us. He was worried that if he Changed again that we would get caught.

"Derek, that's not important. Besides, not everyone would have to stay behind. Only me. Once you Change back, you could pick up on their scent and get us back to them. You don't have to tell your dad if you don't want to. We could find an excuse to get away." I said, trying to make him feel better. It seemed to work because he kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand again.

"You're right, Chloe." Derek said, smiling down at me.

"Hey, guys!" Simon called as he ran in our direction. He looked like he was running away from thing, more likely someone. Simon ran up to us and clutched his knees, panting.

"Why are you running?" I asked Simon, again expecting Derek to drop my hand. He didn't. Simon looked behind him, and struggled to catch his breath.

"To. Ri. Is. Go. Nna. K. Ill. Me." He said, saying part of a word with each breath making it sound like he was sobbing.

"YOU!" Tori rounded the corner, her hands glowing bright red. Derek pulled Simon behind us, an amused look on his face.

"Tori, what's going on?" I asked, my voice was squeeky because just the sight of her scared me.

"Ask _him_." Tori glared in Simon's direction. I was scared to look away from her, but my eyes slid to Simon.

"What did you do?" I asked, knowing how sensitive Tori had been earlier that day.

"I-" Simon started to explain.

"_He_ decided it would be funny to make me levitate! _He_ wouldn't put me down!He _knows_ how I hate heights!" Tori was on the verge of turning purple she was so angry. I stepped in between Tori and Simon. "Out of my way Saunders. I don't want any collateral damage." Tori threatened, lifting her hands to show that she meant business.

"Tori, please put your hands down." I said, my voice at its normal pitch. I put my hands up to show her that I wasn't going to do anythng funny.

"Chloe, this is not time for one of your mediations. Please, get out of my way." Tori said, and I thought I saw a flash of red in her eyes as her hands illuminated more.

"I'm not moving, Tori. So either you put your hands down, or your going to kill me." I said, bluntly. Tori straighted her back. She didn't like this idea, I could tell.

"Chloe, maybe you better move. I'm sure I could take a hit better than you could." Derek's voice was tight with concern but his face wasn't showing it.

"I'm not moving, Derek. And it doesn't matter that you are bigger than me, Tori's spells are made to impair everyone." I said, rolling my eyes to myself. Tori confirmed that with a short nod.

"Chloe, please. Listen to Derek. I have to get Simon what he deserves." Tori was begging me. Well, not to the point where she would get down on her knees but I could tell her resolve was faltering.

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Chloe." Tori said, closing her eyes. I could hear Derek's gasp. Simon cried out in protest, but I watched as Tori lifted her hands and then dropped them. At the last second the glow vanished and her head fell as she dropped to her knees.

I ran over to Tori, leaving Derek and Simon to change their pants (not really). I dropped to my knees as I reached Tori, she was crying again.

"Tori, it's okay. The guys don't think you're weak. That's not what they think at all. You scared them silly." I said, rubbing her shoulder.

Tori didn't look up, but she shook her head. "Don't be stupid, Chloe. I don't care about what they think. I'm losing control, Chloe. I'm irrational and my mood swings are giving me whiplash. I hate how I'm feeling." Tori said, softly.

The guys started to walk over here, but I waved them away. Simon looked like he was scared to leave me with Tori, but I gave him 'The Look' and he nodded and pulled Derek along.

"Tori, we can talk like Mr. Bae about maybe getting you on a mood stabalizer. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you with that. The point of us all being together is so that we can get through this _together_." I said. Tori nodded and stood up.

"I'm gonna go talk to him before I lose my nerve." She said with a short nod. Tori turned on her heel and marched over to Mr. Bae. I was too far away to hear what they were saying so I shrugged and stood up as well. I looked over my shoulder and saw Simon and Derek walking over to me.

"Chloe. I'm trying not to freak out but that was-stupid. No, wait. That's not the word. It was unnecessaryily brave. I'm sure Simon could have done a knock back spell before she blew him up. It wasn't necessary of you to stand in between them." Derek said, visably holding his hostility in. I almost giggled at the pained look on his face. He was really trying not to yell at me.

"Yeah, Chloe. I could have done something." Simon said, looking a little hurt.

"I'm sorry if I bruised you ego, Simon. I just didn't want to stand around and do nothing." I said. I smiled apologetically at him and he nodded, accepting it instantly. "And Derek. Thank you for holding your tongue. And I didn't do it just for Simon and you. I did it for Tori too. She's slipping and I think seeing her mother die was her trigger. I've been talking to her and I knew I could calm her down." I said, matter-of-factly.

Derek seemed to understand, because his face wasn't as pained. It was flushed though, slightly more than before. His Change was coming soon.

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><p><em>So what do you think so far? I am super excited to write another chapter. I'm going to be introducing a new character either this chapter or next chapter. Give me some contructive critizism please! I need it! Thanks for reading!<em>


	3. Chapter 3: Ultraviolet

_Again, this is a work in progress. I try to get on everyday and write a little more to the chapter I am working on. If you do decide to send me reviews, please keep in mind that this is nowhere near being finished. Thanks for reading!_

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><p>I opened my eyes to someone's hands on me. One hand was covering my mouth, the other was shaking me awake. I looked up and my heart skipped a beat. I wrenched the hand from my mouth and sat up.<p>

"Derek, is it time?" I whispered. Derek's face was inches from mine, his breath already smellind of bile. He was sweating profusely and his breath was coming out in short, ragged intervals. His body tensed up and I could see the black hair protruding from his forearms.

"Ye-yes." He muttered. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed his arm. I pulled him along with me deeper into the woods, away from the rest of the sleeping group. We walked for maybe a minute but it felt like an eternity until we found a clearing that was just big enough for him to Change and me to sit next to him.

"Okay, Derek. Did you bring extra clothes?" I asked, calmly. Even though he had Changed a couple times I knew that he was still scared enough as it was. He nodded and his shaky hand reached out and dropped a change of clothes onto the forest floor. I reached down, picked them up and placed them on a log to the left of me. I pulled off my hoodie as Derek fell to the ground. I walked on my knees over to him and placed it under his head as he let out a gutteral moan.

"Ch-Chloe. It's co-cold out. You're go-gonna need it." He said, trying to shove it back at me but he let out a cry of pain as he curled up. I pushed his hair out of his face and wiped his sweat away the best I could.

"Don't worry about me, Derek. I'm the one who gets to worry now. You're doing really good. You're gonna change faster now, because you've done it before. You're gonna be just fine." I cooed, wiping the sweat that never seemed to end with one hand and rubbed his tensed back muscles with the other. Derek nodded quickly, his body convulsing on its own. He looked up into my eyes, I could see the pure fear and pain in them. I looked right back into his, showing him that I wasn't going anywhere and that I was not scared of him.

Derek's back arched and retracted, his wolf hair advancing and receding quickly until it protruded out of his skin completely. I could hear his bones changing shape and his muscles moving. It would have been a sickening sound and I would have vomited if it wasn't for the fear in Derek's eyes. He had already thrown up what ever was in his stomach but as his body contorted he was dry heaving. I brushed the long coarse hair on his back as he collapse on the forest floor, exhausted.

Derek lifted his wolf head up to look at me. If it wasn't for his eyes I would never had known the creature in front of me was once a boy. I smiled back at him and rubbed the area behind his ears.

"See, that took you maybe 5 minutes. I bet the next time you Change it will take you 3 to get to your wolf form. We'll see how long it takes you to Change back to your human form tonight." I speculated. Derek nodded his big, furry head.

I laughed when his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he grimaced at me. I flicked his tongue and rolled my eyes. "Gosh, Derek. First you can't control your legs and now you can't control you tongue. Getting use to your wolf form is gonna be a long process." I said, jokingly.

Derek's response was a mix between a purr and a growl, nothing threatening, it just made me laugh even more. Derek sat up and faced me. He took his paw and put it on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked. He tried to pull me down, because it was unexpected my arm gave away. Before I hit the ground, Derek managed to get his stomach underneath mine. "Oh, you want me to go to sleep and use you as a pillow." I laughed. I rested my head on his big, furriness and he curled up to sheild me from any wind. My eyes closed and his warmth put me to sleep almost instantly.

It felt like I was asleep for maybe an hour before I could feel Derek start to Change underneath me. I sat up quickly and looked over at Derek. His doggish face was contorted into a mask of pain. I caressed his neck, the muscles pulsing under my hand.

"It's not gonna be that long, Derek. You can do it. It didn't take you that long to Change this time, it won't take you long to Change back." I cooed, again keeping my voice calm and level. Derek looked up into my eyes again and I held his gaze. Something inside me told me that having me there and being able to look into my eyes was helping Derek. The only time he broke his gaze was when his eyes were clenched shut in pain. I tried to massage the muscles that were quickly moving back into the human position, trying to make it less painful for him. I would think that the Change would be something like a charlie horse only all over your entire body, not including the bones that needed to shift. Derek dry heaved again, he was nearly human. His face was the only part of him that looked like a wolf. That and the hair all over his body. Once his face returned to its human form, the black coarse hair began to receed until his skin showed. His skin was pale, but that was because of the moon light barely showing through the trees.

"Are you okay?" Derek's gravelly voice barely above a whisper. I looked down at him, not aware that I had been looking up for a glimpse of the moon.

"Am I okay? Yeah, I'm fine. But are _you_ okay? I'm not the one who just Changed from human to wolf back to human in a matter of an hour." I said, pushing his hair out of his face again.

"It was actually more like 4 hours. Same time span as last time, but I just changed quicker." Derek said, sitting up. I blushed when I realized his nakedness. I reached over and placed his clothes in his lap. Derek seemed almost unfazed by me seeing him naked. The only indicator that said otherwise was his ears turning a real dark shade of red. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" Derek asked.

"No I don't!" I said, afraid that he was telling the truth. I was scared of what I would say if I did talk in my sleep.

"Yeah, you totally do. You said something about a girl named Becca and an old lady. I don't remember what you said exactly." Derek shrugged, covering himself with his clothes as he stood up and walked into the trees to change. I sat where I was.

"Oh, Becca. She's the ghost from the motel. The old lady was another ghost there." I said, nonchalantly.

"Did you release them?" Derek's voice sounded from somewhere ahead of me.

"No, there wasn't a need to. Becca is happy to be at the motel, she's not hurting anyone. It's actually kind of sad, she's waiting for her mom and dad to come and get her." I said, looking down at my necklace. "And the old lady was a necromancer with a necklace like mine. I didn't meet her but Becca told me about her. She keeps the bad ghosts away. The whispering I heard that night was just Becca playing in the hallway. You scared her off, but she said you have a good aura." I said, looking up to find him standing in front of me.


End file.
